Traditionally, Hall thruster propellant distributors include a plenum chamber located upstream in the thruster, and a distributor (or orifices) located downstream in the thruster. In the conventional design, the orifices are closer to a plasma region (or an ionization zone) increasing the potential for the orifices to be clogged or damaged by external debris.
Furthermore, conventional Hall thruster propellant distributors have additional disadvantages. For example, propellant flow entering the ionization zone is generally not sufficiently uniform as measured by neutral flux density. Moreover, the assembly process for conventional Hall thruster propellant distributors is generally complex and requires several parts.
Thus, an alternative approach may be beneficial.